Moving On
by Icess
Summary: After her parents death, Serena decides to move in with her aunt and uncle. What happens when a mysterious young man is thrown in her face by her matchmaking aunt Lacey? What secrets will be revealed? Read to find out.
1. Prologue

A.N. Hi! Yet another fanfic from me! Hope you all enjoy this one as much as you enjoy the other two!

Quote: "There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And it's only reward is that it's easy." - Unknown

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of it's characters. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and many other big bad companies. However, I do own this story and it's idea! ;)

Moving On: Prologue

A young woman around the age of 21 stepped off of the plane. Since she did not see anyher family, she sat down on a very uncomfortable chair. With her sunshine colored hair and midnight blue eyes, she looked as if she were an angel.

She heard someone calling her name, "Serena! Over here!" A young man stood on the other side of the terminal waving wildly to her. He made his way over to her and she noticed that he had dark brown eyes-almost black- and short wavy brown hair.

"Do I know you?" She asked as she stood up.

"No, of course not. I'm Colin, your aunt and uncle's neighbor. They asked my brother, Andrew, and I to pick you up."

"Well, how like them. Always sending someone else to do their job." Colin was about to protest but his brother's shout cut him off.

"Colin! What the hell is taking so long? I've been waiting out there for close to half an hour!" Andrew Marx yelled loudly.

"Sorry Andrew! We'll be there in a minute!" Colin shouted back, just as loud. He then turned to Serena, "Come on, he gets really pissed off if I take too long." Grabbing her hand, they ran in that direction.

"Wait! What about my luggage?"

"Don't worry about it! Geoffrey already got it." As they stepped out into the bright sunlight, Colin nudged Serena toward a stern looking chauffeur.

"Let me guess, you're Geoffrey?"

"Yes, that would be me madam." Geoffrey said in a British baritone.

"Get in here! We don't have all day! I've got things to see and people to do… Oops! I mean things to do and people to see!" Andrew joked, winking at Serena flirtatiously once she got into the black limousine. She laughed softly and Colin rolled his eyes.

"So, Serena. You've graduated from college I hear." Andrew said, making polite conversation. She nodded. "That's great! Are you looking for a job? I know it's hard with the loss of your parents and all."

"Andrew! She just got here! Let her get settled in first." Colin said sympathetically, noting the stricken look on Serena's face. He handed her his handkerchief from his khaki pants and she nodded her gratitude.

'Please come and get me soon Sammy…' She pleaded silently, looking out the window but not seeing anything.


	2. Chapter One

A.N. Here is the next chapter for Moving On. Enjoy!

Icess

Quote: "It's alright letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back." – Mick Jagger

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and many other big bad companies. However, I do own this story and it's idea! ;)

Moving On: Chapter One

"Serena! There you are! I have someone that I would like you to meet!" Aunt Lacey called, making her way down the hill towards Serena. With her black hair mixed in with a few gray strands trailing behind her, Lacey's hazel eyes shown with delight.

"Um, I'm not feeling very well. I'm going to go and lay down, sorry Lacey." Serena said, getting up from the bench that she was sitting on. She looked up once into a pair of dazzling blue eyes and then bolted up the hill.

Lacey stared after her niece in frustration. "All I want for her is to meet people and to move on Darien. But, she won't have it."

"She'll come to her senses sooner or later Lacey. Just give her time. That's all she needs. I'll go see if I can cheer her up." Lacey's spirits lifted as Darien walked in the direction Serena had taken.

"Serena? Are you in here?" Darien asked. "You don't have to hide, you know." He made his way further into the kitchen and got a handful of lettuce in the face. He sputtered and looked around, seeing no one, he turned in the other direction and got a tomato smashed into his forehead. "Christ, how many of there are you?" He received no answer except for a bowl of red vinaigrette salad dressing onto his white Gucci shirt. "Hey! This shirt was expensive! Stop that!"

"I'm sure you can afford it, Mr. Whatever-your-name-is. Just go away and leave me alone. I'm sick of my aunt and uncle trying to fix me up with every single guy they know. I don't want to be with anybody and they just don't get the picture. Now, if you'll excuse me--" She stopped because she heard her uncle calling her name.

"Serena! Will you come here please?" Called his distant voice that sounded oddly amused. She strolled down the hall with Darien following her and opened the door to Ian's office.

"Hi, Uncle Ian. What's going on? I was on my way over to Colin and Andrew's house. We were planning on going out to the island house today." Serena said sweetly. She didn't even notice that Darien had come in behind her and Ian was speculating over Darien's stained shirt, trying not to laugh. The situation was just too funny.

"Can you tell me what you have done to Mr. Stenson here? He looks pathetic. Louie walked back into the kitchen when he saw you getting ready to throw the salad dressing at him! What kind of behavior is this? You've never acted like this before!" Ian shouted, successfully covering his laughter up. Ian McPherson was a very tall man with broad shoulders. He had salt and pepper colored hair, thick eyebrows-but not too thick- and green eyes that stood out from the rest of him. He was a very kind-hearted man, but had a fiery temper that ignited easily.

Serena took this all in stride and stated her piece of mind. "I didn't want him following me. I knew Aunt Lacey would send him after me, and I don't want to do this anymore! You two have to stop sending these guys to me! I can't stand it. I want to find someone on my own time. So, if you don't mind, I'm leaving now. Good-bye." And with that, she strode out of the room.

"Well, I think that went well." Ian said to Darien laughingly, who was standing in the same spot as when he first came into the room, mesmerized. Darien Stenson was around the age of 25 and had ebony colored hair with keen blue eyes. He was about as tall as Ian and had about the same athletic build as Ian also.

"So, now what?" Darien asked.

"Well, since Andrew is your best friend, why don't you run on over there and wait for Serena to join them? That way, you can enjoy the rest of the afternoon and get to know Serena better." Suggested Ian.

"Okay… Tell me one thing. Why do I need to get her to like me, excuse me, love me?" The ever so curious Darien asked.

"Just wait and see Darien. Wait and see…" Ian replied in an impatient tone. "Come by tomorrow afternoon around one. We'll explain everything then." Darien nodded and walked over to Andrew's and waited patiently for Serena Olson.

Serena looked at herself in her full-length mirror. She saw nothing but a skinny mini with big blue eyes. She missed her parents deeply. They had been on one of their frequent vacations in Greece, and their plane had had engine problems and crashed into the ocean below them. Their bodies were recovered and returned to the United States for their memorial services which were held not even two days ago.

'I'm late for Andrew's house! Ooh, I gotta hurry!' She urged herself. She made her way down the stairs after putting plush white shorts on and a coral colored butterfly tee shirt over her baby blue bikini. On her way to Andrew's, she burst into tears that she couldn't hold back anymore. She broke into a run so it would look as if her eyes were watering and made her way onto the porch. As she rang the doorbell, she heard Andrew's muted laughter through the thick oak door. He opened the door and invited Serena in, all traces of happiness gone. The emotion on his face now was sympathy.

"Hey, are you okay Serena? You don't look too good." He said, leading her into the family room. Ever since she'd moved into her aunt and uncle's house, she'd become something of a little sister to him.

"I'm fine. Just out of breath. I didn't want to be late and have you guys leave without me." She said, still keeping back tears and plopping into a reclining chair.

"Well okay, if you're sure." Andrew said uncertainly as Colin came down the stairs with four towels in his hands. 'Who else is going with that I don't know about?' Serena asked herself.

"Alright, let's go. Our special guest is already waiting out on the boat." Colin stated, handing Serena and Andrew their respective towels.

"What special guest you guys? I thought it was just the three of us this time." Serena whined. Every time they'd gone out to the island, someone new was with them. She wanted to spend some time alone with the two of them.

"Oh, don't worry, we can bond another time, Sere. He didn't want us telling you. So, let's get going." Andrew laughed lightly.

"Whatever!" She yelled. 'What is going on? They're acting so weird!'

The trio left the house and made their way towards the docks. Then, she saw the familiar dark head of the man she'd thrown the food at in the kitchen. 'What's his name again? Oh yeah, Darien Stenson. He's pretty cute. But, probably arrogant as all hell.'

"No way! I am not getting on the boat with him!" She cried to Andrew and Colin while trying to run back up to the house.

"No such luck! You're stuck with me, sweetheart." Came Darien's deep voice that sent shivers up and down her spine. Colin took her by the waist and helped her onto the speedboat.

"Colin! Please! Don't make me spend time with him!" She pleaded. "And don't call me sweetheart, it ain't gonna work!" Colin stood his ground while Andrew started the boat. "Ooh! This is gonna be great! I can just see it!"

As she plopped down, the three men tried to stifle their laughter.


	3. Chapter Two

A.N. Hello hello! Back again with another chappy. Enjoy!

Icess

Quote: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." - Plato

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and many other big bad companies. However, I do own this story and it's idea! ;)

Moving On: Chapter Two

As the afternoon wore on, Serena got used to Darien's presence and spoke to him more often. As she sat on the sand, her towel beneath her, she gazed at him. 'He still has his stained shirt on, why? He should have given it to Lucy, so she could take care of it.'

"Darien, why didn't you change into some of Andrew's clothes? You two look about the same size." She observed.

"Why? I think it looks attractive. Besides, Andrew doesn't have the same taste in clothes as I do." Came his annoyed reply.

"What are you planning on attracting out here? The ants? Certainly not me." She laughed. Darien huffed and went to stand on the dock where the boat was. As he did this, she came up with a very evil idea. She got up from her perch on the sand and snuck up behind him.

"Hiya, Darien!" She yelled and pushed him into the water. But, he didn't give her enough time to step away and he grabbed her hand; she went flying into the water along with him. She came up, spitting the water out of her mouth and screamed. "Darien! You are so dead!" Swimming over to him, she shoved his head under water.

He stayed underwater and grabbed her kicking feet, making her scream loudly. When she came back up, she swam to shore, muttering about stupid men not playing fair. "Have a nice bath Serena?" Colin asked. He and Andrew had come out of the woods when they heard her scream.

"No, but I'm sure Darien did."

"Just wait, Serena. Payback is a bitch." Darien said, a wonderful idea making its way into his mind.

"Alright you guys. I'm going to go home. I'm exhausted. See you later, okay?" Serena looked to Andrew and Colin for their approval; they both nodded their heads. She then looked to Darien, who gave her a hard glare.

"Jeez! What kind of manners have your parents taught you?" He joked. Only, Serena didn't laugh. He saw tears well up in her eyes, 'Uh, oh. What'd I do?' Serena blinked back her tears and glared at him coldly before running out of the house.

"What was that all about?" Darien asked curiously.

"Uh, should I tell him? Or do you want to Andy?" Colin questioned.

"I'll do it. Darien… have Ian and Lacey told you why Serena moved in with them?"

"No, why? What happened?" Darien had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, Serena's parents died in a plane crash a couple weeks ago. It took a while to find their remains so their funeral was only a few days ago. Serena's older brother Sammy (A.N. Yes, I made Sammy older.) stayed in Washington while she flew out here to get herself back on her feet."

"Why the hell didn't they tell me about this earlier? They didn't tell me that I'd be courting a grieving, mourning girl!" Darien raged. He was angry with himself for being such an ass. He was angry with Ian and Lacey because they didn't tell him what the hell was going on. They'd called him two nights ago saying that he had to come out here because he was concerned with some legal matters.

Andrew and Colin left Darien to be alone. But, Darien couldn't stay in the room by himself, he felt like he was suffocating. He left and made his way down the hill to the rose garden. It always seemed to calm him. He plopped down onto a bench and sighed.

"What have I done?" His head was in his hands when Serena came up to him.

"Darien, they told you, didn't they?" She asked quietly.

He jumped. "Holy shit! You scared the hell out of me!" He sat back down and sighed another heavy sigh. "Yeah, they told me. Serena, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"I know you didn't. I should have realized. I knew Lacey and Ian wouldn't have told you. They always let people find important things out at the last minute. They leave it to other people to say it for them." She sat down next to him. "I'm sorry too. For earlier. I was acting very immature. I never do that."

Darien laughed. "It's okay Serena. Tell you what; let's call a truce. Deal?"

"Deal." She giggled. "Are you going to Club Forever with us tonight?"

"Well, yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

"I was just wondering. My friend Brooke would love you. She needs a guy in her life. A few of my friends are flying up here from Washington and they'll be going with us tonight."

'Too bad I can't have Brooke, Serena. I have to get you to love me. And it's strange but, I want to love you too, only after knowing you for a few short hours.' He said silently. "Yeah, it'd be great to meet them tonight." He lied.

"Great, I'll see you later then. Bye Darien."

"See ya." Darien went back to the house in a much better mood. He and Serena had everything settled now. Or so he thought.


	4. Chapter Three

A.N. Hi everyone. I haven't received many reviews for this one so far. Guess no one is interested in it, huh? Ah well, that's life. At least you like my other two. ;-)

Icess

Quote: "Enjoy yourself. These are the good old days you're going to miss in the years ahead." –Anonymous

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and many other big bad companies. However, I do own this story and it's idea!

Title: Moving On

Chapter: 3

Author: Icess

The telephone ringing in Serena's room startled her from a dreamless sleep. She got up groggily and mumbled into the phone. The voice she heard made her jump out of bed. "Brooke! Hey! Where are you guys?" She gazed at the clock on the bedside table and spoke into the phone again. "It's almost 6 o'clock. How far are you from here?" She listened for a few minutes before nodding and smiling brightly. "Oh, I met this guy that I know you'll just love. His name is Darien. No, you can wait until you get here to see what he looks like. You don't need me telling you how he looks. Oh, ok. See you in about half an hour? Ok! I'll be waiting."

Serena jumped up from the corner of her queen-size bed and ran over to her walk-in closet. Quickly opening the doors, she rummaged through her various choices of clothing for her club outfit. 'This is gonna be so much fun! Finally, I get to leave this house and party!' She thought excitedly. She chose a natural colored suede tie-dye halter-top that went along with a frayed zip-up mini skirt and a pair of white thong sandals. She kept her make-up neutral to her skin tone, which consisted of a tiny bit of blush and her favorite strawberry lip-gloss. As for her waist length hair, she left it long and flowing, while it curled at the ends. She stopped from her preparation and spared a glance at the clock. 'Oops! They'll be here in a few minutes. I'd better get downstairs.'

At the exact same time that she got to the foot of the stairs, the doorbell rang. "Coming!" She skidded to a halt in front of the heavy oak door and opened it. The sight she saw was heartwarming. All five of her very best friends were standing there, a rose in each hand. "Brooke! Thank-you!" Serena said, taking the yellow rose from Brooke Abbott who was a young woman of 5 feet and four inches; she had shoulder-length brown hair and sad brown eyes. She stepped inside and gave Serena a hug before evaluating her surroundings.

After Brooke came Merry Cross. She was 5 feet and 8 inches, a very intimidating height for most girls. Having the super-model figure, Merry had short blonde hair and bright green eyes. She also handed Serena a rose except it was of a soft pink color.

Then came Tabatha Eastman, all the girls called her "Tab". "Hello Serena," Tab said softly. Tab was a smart girl of 5 feet and 2 inches. She had shoulder-length red curls that bounced up and down when she walked, gray eyes completed the homely look of Tab Eastman. She handed Serena a white rose that brightened up Serena's face.

Dahlia Hogan came rushing in and gave Serena a bear hug. Surprised momentarily, Serena just stood there, and then laughed and hugged the girl back. Being the shortest of all the girls, Dahlia stood to be a total of 5 feet. With her sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes, she looked to be a little girl at times because of her sometimes-childish mannerisms.

Last but not least was 5 feet 6 inch, Amberli Lonko. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair and aqua colored eyes. 'Wow, I just thought of this… Amberli could easily pass for Darien's sister. Wait, until I tell her. She'll freak out.' Serena thought to herself.

"You guys, thanks so much for coming! I've missed you all so much! It's weird not seeing you everyday."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. We've been best friends since we were kids. Even my folks miss you, Sere." Merry said. Serena and Merry had been next door neighbors for a really long time. Serena and Merry's parents had been really close to each other too. When Merry's parents found out what had happened to Verenice and Dominick Olson, they were devastated. They brought Merry and her little brother, Camden, to the Olson's funeral services and donated money to Serena's brothers' college tuition account (even if he didn't need it) and to Serena's bank account so that she could find a place of her own someday soon.

"You guys, can we please stop talking about this depressing stuff? We're supposed to have fun tonight." Tab said, always despising subjects of conversation that made everybody cry.

"Yeah, really Sere. You shouldn't be thinking about this… wow." Brooke trailed off and everyone followed her gaze to the staircase. There stood Darien in tan khaki's, a black T-shirt, a pair of black Doc Marten's and a black leather bomber jacket (A.N. Talk about liking black, huh? Hey! At least it's not the horrid green jacket!). Jaws dropped as he smiled and made his way over to Serena to embrace her.

"Hi, Serena." He said, his voice husky. "Who are your friends?"

"Uh… th-this is Brooke, Merry, Tab, Dahlia, and Amberli. Girls, this is my friend Darien Stenson."

"Your friend, darling? Oh come on, I thought we were much more than that." Darien sighed, faking hurt. Jaws dropped again for a second time that evening.

Serena's anger rose and she tried to giggle. "Oh, you're silly Dare. Why would we be more?" Turning her attention to her friends, Serena told them to head up to her room, telling them the directions. Then, she grabbed Darien's arm and pulled him to the side. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

To be continued…

A.N. I guess this chapter was pretty boring. I have a bad habit of describing what people wear a lot. As you'll find out in the next chapter too. I can't help it though. It's fun!

Written on: June 28, 2002

Revamped on: August 18, 2005


	5. Chapter Four

A.N. Hello to everyone in the world of fanfiction! Hope you all are enjoying these stories. Just some warning, I have a bad habit of describing what people wear quite a bit. As always, I welcome questions, comments and flames. Thanks! Icess

Quote: "Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes… be an illusion." – Javan

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and many other big bad companies. However, I do own this story and it's idea! ;)

Title: Moving On

Chapter: 4

Author: Icess

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Serena hissed in between her teeth.

'Jeez, I didn't think that she'd be this mad. I was only joking… or was I?' Darien asked himself. He got her even angrier when he grinned like a lovesick fool. "I'm not doing anything wrong, Serena. Just trying to get your attention." He stated innocently.

"Well, you got it. Now, what the hell do you want?"

"I don't want you to try and set me up with ANY of your friends. Am I making myself clear? I don't want to date anybody as of right now." 'Ha! That's a lie Darien and you know it! You wanna be with Serena! Serena and Darien sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G… Would you shut the hell up! I think I need to get a new conscience. Too bad, you're stuck with me buddy!'

"Fine, why didn't you just say that instead of putting on an act?" 'Oh, you know you loved it Sere. You know that you want him.' Serena rolled her eyes helplessly and started to turn away.

"Well, maybe I wasn't acting." Darien said and pulled her to him before she could get too far away from him. He smacked a kiss on her lips and then walked away as if nothing had happened.

'Whoa girl.' Serena's mind said when Serena almost went after him. Then she stopped in the middle of the hallway and laughed silently. After standing in that single spot for a few more minutes, Serena shook her head and jogged up the stairs to help the girls get ready to go to the club.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Come on Darien, pick up the freaking phone." Raye Stenson said while pacing back and forth in her newly refurbished living room. Raye stood to be about 5 feet 5 inches; she had long black hair with purple highlights and violet colored eyes. She kept on pacing until her dope brother picked up the phone with a rushed "Hello!"

"It's about time! I have a teeny tiny problem, Dare. Chad wants to go to the club with me. Now, he's YOUR friend and he expects me to go with him, when I can't even stand the guy!" Raye complained.

"Uh, ok. Tell him to meet me at the club. I'll distract him with one of Serena's friends."

"Good thing! I wouldn't want to spoil the evening by chasing him around with a hammer. I swear that guy is so annoying! ANYWAY, how's this thing going with Serena?"

"Actually, she's pretty steamed at me right now. She wanted to fix me up with this friend of hers and I came on to Serena a little bit. Not a lot, just a wee bit." He said, pinching his fingers together even though Raye couldn't see what he was doing.

"You idiot! You gotta go slowly with her. Duh!"

Darien laughed at his sisters' antics and told her good-bye and that he'd see her in about twenty minutes.

"Come on girls! We're gonna be late! We have to meet the guys at Andy's in five minutes!" Serena yelled. Brooke was the first to come downstairs; she was wearing a rose-colored tie-shoulder tank top with a white fray mini skirt. To complete the outfit, she wore white wedge sandals. For makeup, she had mascara and pink lip-gloss on.

Dahlia, being the sporty type came down the stairs wearing a red tonal striped tee, denim chinos and red sling back shoes. Since she didn't like wearing make-up she only had clear lip-gloss on.

Tabatha slowly came down the stairs wearing a peach colored crochet trim tee with a light blue sandblasted mini skirt. For shoes, or should we say sandals; she had white toe loop slides on. She had mascara and peach flavored lip-gloss on for make-up.

As for Merry, she had on a black lace-up tank top that went along with a black floral embroidered skirt. On her feet were black toe-loop sandals. She had on black eyeliner, and mascara that went along with her favorite flavored lip-gloss. Cream soda. (A.N. Is that a lip-gloss flavor? I mean they have orange soda, grape soda, and Dr. Pepper flavored glosses. So, why not cream soda? ;-))

Since Amberli had forgotten to take some nice clothes with her besides jeans and a shirt, Serena let her borrow an outfit of hers. It happened to be a black eyelet tank top and skirt set that went with black flower chain sandals. She hated wearing make-up, but Brooke put mascara and pink lip-gloss on Amberli's face anyway. "Deal with it." She had said.

"It's about time! Holy cow! I've been down here for a freakin' hour!" Serena said, laughing softy. "Let's go, I'll hop into my car and you can follow me there, okay?"

"Yeah, Sere. Just don't get lost like that one time when we were trying to find Zain's house, we never did get there." Amberli said. All of the other girls giggled and followed Serena out the door.

"Where the heck are they, Andy? They're two minutes late!" Colin said, always the punctual one.

"Hold your horses, Col. You know how girls can be. Always wanting to look their best for the guys." Andrew said, he heard Darien making his way over to Andrew's from the path connecting the two yards together. "Hey Dare. So, is Raye's friend Mina gonna be there? That girl is hot!"

"Yeah, she'll be there. All of Raye's friends will be there. I think all of them will get along just fine with Serena." Darien commented; knowing full well that Raye would nag Serena to death, while Mina talked her senseless. Ami would just sit there quietly until she got used to being around Serena. As for Lita, she would be too hung up on guys to hardly notice Serena. While he was lost in his thoughts, Serena and her friends finally pulled up into the driveway and Serena was introducing the awestruck girls to Andrew and Colin. Then, the girls turned their attention to Darien and just drooled.

"Gosh, you'd think that these girls were a bunch of teeny-boppers, they way that they get stars in their eyes, huh Dare?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Darien said, distracted. He couldn't get over how great Serena looked.

"Well, are we gonna go or what?" Dahlia asked.

"Yup, lets get going." Colin said, ushering the girls to their cars and then Andrew, Colin, and Darien hopping into Andrew's black '68 mustang convertible.

A.N. Ok, it's finally done! YAY! I hope you have enjoyed this story so far. Please, send questions, comments, and flames! Thanks! Icess

Written on: June 29, 2002

Revamped on: August 18, 2005


	6. Chapter Five

Quote: "If God can work through me, he can work through anyone." – St. Francis of Assisi

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They all belong to Naoko

Takeuchi, DiC, and many other big bad companies. However, I do own this story and it's

idea! ;)

Title: Moving On

Chapter: 5

Author: Icess

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Raye was pacing yet again that night. She was waiting for her brother to get to the club so that Chad would stop following her. She wanted to check the guys out, and she couldn't do that with Chad watching her every move. As it was, he was so close that he was stepping on her open toe sandals that went with her black silk dress. "CHAD! God dammit! Stop!"

"Gosh, I'm sorry Raye, I was looking for Darien." Came Chad Young's lame excuse.

"Yeah, I'm so sure." Raye said under her breath. She plopped down onto the cast-iron bench that was on the boardwalk and took a sneak peak at Chad. 'You gotta admit, he is pretty cute. The way that his silky brown hair falls over his even darker eyes. Wait a minute… SILKY! Yeah, real silky.' Raye sighed. 'If only he weren't so annoying, I could see myself with him.' She stopped her traitorous thoughts when she heard an engine rev and saw Andrew's way cool mustang. 'Now, if I had someone like Andrew, I wouldn't have a complaint in the world!'

"Raye!" She heard her name called. She glanced up and saw Darien tugging a petite blonde along behind him. 'Ah, the infamous Serena.' She smiled warmly and gave Darien a brief hug before looking to Serena. "Oh, uh Serena. This is my sister Raye. Raye, this is Serena."

"Nice to meet you Raye." Serena said politely.

"Likewise." Raye looked to Darien pointedly and jerked her head over to Chad. "You might want to take care of him. He's getting on my nerves."

"Oh yeah." Darien said. "Chad! Hey, get over here!" Chad made his way over to Darien, Raye, and Serena while Andrew and Colin were on their way over to join the small group. Serena's friends still hadn't arrived and she was starting to get worried.

"Hey Sere! Where're the girls?" Andrew asked excitedly.

"I have no clue. They were right behind me when we were on the highway." At that moment, they finally decided to show up. "Well, speak of the devil." All five of them piled out of the car and Chad got stars in his eyes. Raye sighed happily although she felt kind of jealous. 'Wait, why should I feel jealous? Jeez, all this talk about Serena and Darien is making me crazy.'

"Where the hell were you guys?" Serena questioned.

"Oh, you know, around." Tab said, elbowing Amberli in the side.

"Amberli saw a guy and decided to track him down. No luck though. He ran off, I think he thought we were gonna run him over." Merry sighed.

"No shit sherlock! I would have run too if a bunch of guys did that to me." Dahlia said. "Who are they?" Dahlia asked, pointing to Raye, then Chad.

"Oh, girls, this is Raye and Chad." Serena's friends introduced themselves to Raye and Chad and then sighed loudly, still not being able to get over how drop-dead gorgeous Darien, Andrew, and Colin were.

"Ok, I've had enough of standing outside, I'm goin' in!" Raye said, then stopped her journey to the door and looked at Andrew. "Andy, Mina and the girls are inside. I saw you looking for them. They didn't want to wait anymore." Andrew nodded and blushed. "Let's go already people!" Everyone laughed and followed Raye into Club Forever.

Serena sighed loudly and went to the bar for a drink. "Amaretto stone sour, please." She told the bartender, he smiled brightly and went to fix her drink. She turned around and sat on the stool, checking out the atmosphere of the club. They'd been here only half an hour and she was bored already. The bartender came back with her drink and she handed him a five- dollar bill, murmuring her thanks.

"Hey baby, you wanna dance?" Serena looked surprised and her gaze fell upon a grotesque looking man with greasy blonde hair and heavy lidded green eyes. 'They actually let people like that in here? Yikes!' She thought.

"Uh, no thanks, mister." She said, and picked up her drink, moving to the table where Andrew and Mina were talking animatedly to each other. "Hey Andrew, Mina. Where's everyone else?" She asked, looking around the crowded room and not being able to spot anyone.

"Umm, Darien went outside for a breather, Amy and Greg are dancing… I think. Lita and Ken are sitting at a different table. Chad is dancing with your friend Dahlia. Colin and Brooke are talking somewhere, and your other friends are mingling." Andrew said in one breath, and then went back to talking with Mina.

"Gee, thanks." Serena said, setting her drink down, she walked to the entrance of the club and stepped outside to find Darien. "Hey Darien, you okay?" She asked and made her way over to him.

Darien's head snapped up and he looked at her through glazed eyes before he shook his head and said an inaudible "Fine." He went to sit on the bench that Raye had sat on earlier and sighed loudly.

"Are you sure, Darien?"

"I'm sure, Serena! Get outta here!" He gasped as he yelled those words and saw the tears in Serena's eyes before she ran away. "Wait! Serena! I'm sorry." He shouted to her retreating back. She didn't stop, just ran towards her car and hopped in. Revving the engine, she tore out of the parking lot and back to her aunt and uncle's house.

Lacey came running out of the house. "Serena, what happened? Are you hurt?" Just in my heart, Lacey.

"No, I'm fine Lacey. I'm just tired, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, before I forget. Make sure you're in your Uncle Ian's office tomorrow at noon. We all have something to discuss." Lacey said in a serious tone, which surprised Serena, because Lacey was almost always happy and carefree.

"Uh, ok Lacey. See you tomorrow then." Serena left her aunt in the driveway and made her way up the stairs into her bedroom. Going into the bathroom that connected her room, she started some bath water and quickly walked into her room and stood in front of her very large CD collection and chose her Josh Groban CD. When she re-entered the bathroom, her bath was ready and she turned the water off and then walked over to the CD player and popped the CD in. Then she got undressed and slipped into the warm water. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, listening to the soothing music.

Then, to spoil the moment, the dreaded phone rang. Serena got out of the tub and ran to get to the phone before the answering machine picked up. "Hello?" She said breathlessly. She heard loud music in the background and could only guess as to who it was. "Darien, I don't want to talk to you, leave me alone."

"Uh, this is Andrew. But I am calling because Darien is about to get kicked out of the club for getting rip-roaring drunk. He's throwing himself at the ladies and revealing parts of himself that should only be seen in private." Andrew laughed slightly.

Serena gasped. "Are you serious, Drew? My gosh, he's crazy! Do you need me to come and pick him up? I will if you want me to." She said, forgetting for the moment that she was angry at Darien.

"Please, Serena. He's driving everyone crazy." Andrew pleaded.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Make sure he keeps his clothes on." She said and hung the phone up. Changing into a pair of baggy sweatpants and a tank top, she ran out of the house and sped the whole way to the club, music blaring all the way.

"Anrew, let o' ma arm!" Darien slurred loudly.

"Shut the hell up Darien! We're going outside so that Serena can drive you back to Ian's house." Andrew said, keeping his hold on Darien's muscular forearm tight.

"But she haes me! I yelled a' 'er."

"She can suck it up for half an hour. You'd better straighten yourself out Dare. You're loosin' it." Andrew said, and Darien sulked. Andrew sighed and looked around for Serena's silver PT Cruiser. Finally, he heard very loud music and saw Serena's car come around the corner. When she pulled up to the curb, Serena turned her Linkin Park CD off and got out of the car.

"Get in the car Darien. And don't you even think about bugging me, or else you'll be walking." Now, having Serena say that must have sobered him up and he got into the car without making too much of a fool of himself.

"Serena! Thank God! He's been driving us crazy! Just smack him up side of the head a few times if he starts annoying you." Andrew said, walking away.

"Great!" She exclaimed. "All right you idiot, let's go."

A.N. Ok, that's it for this chapter! Hope ya'll enjoyed it! Icess

Written On: July 28, 2002

Revamped On: March 29, 2006


	7. Chapter Six

A.N. I'm back with another chapter of Moving On. Ain't that spiffy?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters affiliated with it. They all belong to Naoko

Takeuchi and DiC! Please don't sue me!

Quote: "I sought my soul

But my soul could not see.

I sought my God

But my God eluded me.

I sought my brother

And I found all three." – Unknown

Title: Moving On

Chapter: Six

Author: Icess

After making a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts for some hot chocolate and very black coffee for Darien, they were well on their way back to Ian and Lacey's home. "Darien, wake up." Serena said softly, looking over to the slumbering figure. An unruly lock of black hair fell over his eyes, making him look like a little boy. His lips were slightly parted and he was drooling the teeniest bit. She shook him lightly, "Darien, wake up sleepy head. We're home." She leaned over in the leather seat a bit and pinched his nose. That woke him up immediately.

"Serena! What the hell? Do you have to be such a pain?" Darien exclaimed on a growl.

"Well, if you would have gotten up, I wouldn't of had to plug your friggin' nose! Get outta the car." She said back with as much attitude as he had given her. "See if I'm your designated driver again." She went around to the other side of the car since it seemed that Darien was having a little trouble finding the door handle. "Still a little tipsy, are we?" She spoke through the open window.

"Shut up." Came his reply. Serena chuckled and opened the door. She helped him out of the low sitting car and then made her way over to the front door with her house key ready. Unlocking the door and waiting for Darien to get inside the house, she stood to the side of the doorway and watched as Darien walked very slowly.

"Would you please hurry up? I'd like to get some sleep at least." She complained. He looked up at her with dazed eyes and realized that he was spacing out. He straightened up and finally got inside the house, immediately after that, Serena stepped behind him and locked the door again. He caught a whiff of her sweet smelling hair… freesia. Her voice intruded upon his thoughts, "Do you need help up to your room?"

"I suppose…" He trailed off and starting walking towards the stairs with Serena in tow. She took his arm and helped him step up since he was still walking awkwardly. "I'm surprised you're being so patient Serena, I know that you don't want to be here. I was a jackass earlier. I'm sorry." That was the second time in a single day that he'd apologized to her. Serena said nothing and helped him into his room.

"Ok, here you are. Sleep tight, hope the bed bugs bite." Serena said playfully, but when she looked into Darien's eyes; she could see that he wasn't even thinking about laughing.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" And before she could respond, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her for the second time that day. She moaned softly and wound her arms around his neck. She didn't protest when he parted her lips gently and explored her mouth. Then, just as soon as it had started, he pushed her away and slammed the door to his room.

"He's been doing that a lot lately." Serena said, still in a daze.

-In Darien's room-

"Idiot, you gotta stop this." Darien scolded himself. Taking his clothes off in a hurry and standing in his boxers, he noticed a note lying on the desk that was standing right next to the balcony doors of his expansive room.

'Darien,

The time has finally come to get down to business. We'll need you in my office tomorrow afternoon. Be prepared, big news. Be there at twelve o'clock.

Sincerely,

Ian'

"Ok…" He said, still kind of out of it. Sighing with the effort of trying to get Serena off of his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about the hurt he had seen in her eyes at the club tonight. He'd been rude, he knew. But, he didn't want her to see him in pain. He still had his pride. The pain was always there, a dull ache most of the time, but at others… it was so bad that he couldn't bear to be around anybody, like tonight. He touched his fingers briefly to the small scar just below his ribs. The memories never faded. He could still see himself running toward the man and he could still see the gun. Still felt the pain of the bullet.

A knock at the door broke him from his reverie. "Darien? Are you awake?" The heavy door muted Serena's voice. He sighed again, 'Doesn't she ever quit?' Then, realizing that he was still standing in his boxers rummaged through the dresser drawers and found a pair of black sweatpants.

"Uh. Be there in a minute Serena." He said, running to the door while still trying to get his legs into the pants. He opened the door in a rush and had the pleasure of seeing Serena's surprised face before she turned it down to a cool gaze. She stepped into the room and waited for him to close the door.

"I won't be long, but I just wanted to know if you got a letter from my uncle at all." She said, looking around. After deciding that she would be in his room for a while, she walked over to the sofa and sat her pajama clad body onto it.

"Actually, yeah, I did. He wants me to meet him in his office tomorrow afternoon, why'd you want to know?" He said, picking the note up from the desk once again to look at it.

"Well, because I got one too. I guess we both have to meet him there. I wonder why…" She trailed off and got her first good look at Darien. He was standing next to the desk in a pair of sweatpants and his upper body wasn't covered. His chest was well muscled and she noticed a tiny scar just below his ribs. "Where'd you get that?" She asked and he looked confused for a moment before following her gaze to his scar.

"Oh… it's uh… nothing. I got hurt when I was a kid. No big deal." He said, turning his face away so she couldn't see the pain in his eyes. "Well, I'm kinda tired, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" He asked and went to the door to open it for her.

Serena stared at him with astonishment but got up from the couch anyway and walked to the door as well. "Sure, I'll… uh… see you tomorrow then. Bye Darien." She said and could feel his eyes boring into her back as she was out the door and walking back to her room. Then, the door finally clicked shut.

The following afternoon, Serena found herself to be the last person in the office. Ian was waiting impatiently at his desk. Lacey was next to him, wringing her hands while Darien was standing in the corner gloomily. She saw a man that she didn't know occupying one of the soft leather chairs in front of Ian's desk and then saw her brother Sammy. 'Sammy! What's he doing here!' "Sammy! Oh my gosh, I've missed you so much!" She sang happily and ran into his arms. He hugged her tightly and then turned to introduce her to the man in the chair.

"Serena, this is mom and dad's attorney, Michael E. Smith. He's here to read their will." Sammy said. The man stood up and shook hands with Serena, his presence emanated authority.

"Hello, Serena, it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry about your loss. Your parents were wonderful people." He said, his voice full of emotion. He took a survey of the people in the room and nodded. "Okay, everyone is here now. Let's get the reading of the wills over and done with. The only reason why this is being done so late is because I didn't know of the Olson's death until a few days ago. That is when Mr. McPherson called and told me that the funeral would be in Washington-" He was cut off by Darien's cool voice.

"Now wait a minute here, if this is the reading of the wills, then why am I here?"

"Very good question Mr. Stenson, and I'll get to you in a minute." Smith explained. "The Olson's and the Stenson's were very good friends, you see. Serena, your parents wished to have you taken care of when they were gone… so the two families came to a little agreement."

"First of all Mr. Smith, I can take care of myself quite well. Second of all, if our parents knew each other, then why didn't all of us meet earlier on?" Serena asked, not being able to piece the puzzle together. Darien nodded his head in agreement although he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Almost as if the next thing that Smith was going to say would change everything.

This is when Lacey cut in; "They didn't want you kids meeting until the right time."

"Oh, so now is? When our parents are dead?" Sammy said loudly.

"Where are my parents? Shouldn't they be here too?" Darien asked.

"Settle down everyone, please! Let me explain." Smith said, looking to each person for his or her okay. When he was satisfied, he continued. "As I said before Serena, your parents wished for you to be taken care of financially and emotionally, when they were gone. This is where the Stenson's come in." Smith directed his attention to Darien now. "Darien, your parents offered to help the Olson's. Mr. and Mrs. Olson saw it fit that Serena and Darien be wed. The Stenson's agreed to this because they wanted their son to be happy, just as the Olson's wanted Serena to be happy."

"Hold on a minute! Darien and I are betrothed? Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this? Sammy, did you know?" He shook his head 'no.' "Well, I can tell you where to stick your will! You can…"

"Serena!" Ian yelled,speaking for the first time since the meeting started.

"I don't care anymore. I don't like it when other people run my life! I refuse to marry Darien! I won't!" Serena screamed.

"Serena, if you refuse, then I'm afraid that there will be some consequences." Smith said.

"Like what? I can't believe that I'm being forced into this." She said angrily.

"There has to be something else, Mr. Smith. I can't marry Serena…" Darien said, then trailed off and shut his mouth. He didn't want to reveal too much to anybody, especially with Serena's brother there.

"Like I just said, there will be consequences if you two fail to marry. Olson Inc. will be sold to a fairly large electronics company called Columbia. Whereas, if you two wed, Serena would inherit the company and would merge together with Stenson Industries." Smith explained.

Serena gasped, 'I can't believe they've blackmailed me into this! They knew how much I value being part of Olson Inc.!'

"Serena! Please, I know that I may not be entering the same field as you but you can't let to company to be sold. Mom and Dad worked so hard to get the company to where it is today. Don't let Columbia take it!" Sammy pleaded. Serena looked into his eyes and then into Darien's sapphire blues. She saw understanding for he knew what she wanted.

"Fine, but this is only for the sake of your parents company Serena." Darien said, hating this idea even more by the minute. Ian and Lacey sighed with relief.

"Great!" Smith smiled for the first time. "The wedding with commence next Thursday at St. Mary's Church at one in the afternoon." He said, packing up his papers.

"So soon? But, when do we have time to plan all this?" Serena panicked.

"It's already taken care of. I told you Serena. Your parents wanted you to be looked after. As for the rest of the will, we will finish after the wedding." Smith said and walked out of the suddenly too small office.

Darien looked grim and walked out of the office also, never looking back. He didn't want anyone to see the anger in his eyes. Once he was a safe distance from the house, he put his head in his hands and tried to think.

A.N. Well there goes that chapter! YAY! And the story is just getting good! Hope you enjoyed reading!

Written On: October 7, 2002

Revamped On: March 29, 2006


	8. Chapter Seven

A.N. Hello! Here's the next installment of Moving On for ya. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon unfortunately. Sailor Moon and its affiliates belong to Naoko

Takeuchi and DiC. They're so lucky!

Quote: "It is sweet to dance to violins

When Love and Life are Fair;

To dance to flutes, to dance to lutes,

Is delicate and rare,

But it is not sweet with nimble feet

To dance upon the air!" – Oscar Wilde

Title: Moving On

Chapter: Seven

Author: Icess

The shrill ring of Darien's "business" phone woke him up in the middle of the night. He growled and answered it, "Yeah." Immediately, he was wide-awake. 'It's him!' He thought angrily.

"I heard about your little engagement. That woman sure is fine, ain't she? I'd just love to-" Mario was cut off by Darien's harsh voice.

"You leave her out of this, it's between you and me. Got that? I mean it Mario; she has nothing to do with this. What do you need now?" He grimaced as his bullet wound started to throb. The bullet wound that Mario had given him. The one that reminded him of revenge.

"You know what I want. More money, that's what life is about. Drop it off in half an hour in the park. If you're a good boy and come alone this time, I just might give you another clue as to where your daughter is. How old is she now Darien? Seven, eight? She's mighty pretty." The man laughed evilly.

"Leave her alone damnit! Leave Sierra alone! Let her go, it's been long enough!"

"Shut up or she'll wind up just like your girlfriend a few years ago. Both of them! Now, listen to me, bring the money to the park, leave it on the bench. If you're alone, you'll get another clue." :Click: Mario had disconnected.

"Shit!" Darien yelled and threw the phone against the wall. At least the walls of the house were thick and you couldn't hear through them very well. He got up and rummaged under the bed for the briefcase that held half a million dollars and walked out the door. Once outside, he snuck through the woods to the car that he kept there and drove away.

The sunlight crept through the drapes in Serena's room and she opened her eyes slowly. What she saw made her laugh. All of her friends were sitting around her bed, waiting for her to wake up. "It's about time you woke up Sere. We have to leave in twenty minutes." Dahlia said sadly. Serena's eyes widened and she looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly noon already.

"Oh my gosh you guys. I'm so sorry. I was supposed to be up like, three hours ago. My damn alarm clock never went off…" She trailed off and gazed at the girls. Smiling sadly, she got up and gave them all hugs. "I'm gonna miss you guys so much! I wish you could be here for next week. I really need you on Thursday. I know I know… you have classes. I understand completely. I'm just not used to not seeing you guys every day, ya know?" They all nodded and made their way downstairs, Serena leading the way.

"Well," Merry started and tears gathered in her eyes. "I'll tell mom and dad that you send your love. Jimmy misses you." She said, referring to her seven-year-old brother.

"I miss him too. Tell him to keep working on his reading and I'll visit him soon." Serena said, giving Merry another hug before Merry hopped into the car. All the other girls got into the car after giving Serena another hug and drove off. Serena stood in the middle of the driveway until the car disappeared and she wiped the tears from her face. When she turned around, she saw Darien standing in the doorway giving her a funny look. "What?" She asked indignantly.

"Touching scene, Sere. Come here, I need to talk to you." He said and held out his hand for her to take. She took it and he pulled her over to the gardens. She looked up at him expectantly. "Uh, I just spoke to Smith, I've moved the date of the wedding up. Its tomorrow." He waited for the ranting and the raving, but it never came. Instead, she looked as if she were about to start crying again.

"Why?" She asked simply.

"Well, because I have some business to take care of next week and can't do it. We need to get this marriage stuff taken care of so I can take you to my house. After that, I'll be gone on business and I'll leave you to make the house more lively. That's what women do. So, all you have to do is go to the stores on this list and they'll provide you with a pretty large allowance." Darien explained. Now, her eyes lit up with anger.

"Excuse me? 'That's what women do?' I happen to have a job too, you know. I have a company to run now. I won't be able to do everything myself!" She exclaimed.

He laughed slightly and draped his arm around her shoulders. "I was just kidding, Sere. I know all that. I'm not some macho freak that doesn't know that you have a life too. I didn't expect you to do any redecorating anyway. My housekeeper has already taken care of it. My sister and her friends will probably stop by to see you though."

She nodded and remembered a few nights ago when Serena had met Raye and her friends. "They all seemed really nice. Not that I spoke to them much anyway." He laughed and walked away, telling her that he'd see her later. 'Why me?' She cried silently.

A.N. Yes, a short chappie. Don't remind me. Icess

Written On: January 2, 2003

Revamped On: March 30, 2006


	9. Chapter Eight

A.N. Hello! I need some ideas on how to continue this fic. Anyone with suggestions, email me! Icess

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Sailor Moon or the characters affiliated with it. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and Toei Animation.

Title: Moving On

Chapter: Eight

Author: Icess

Darien sighed and plopped down onto his bed. All he had to do now was pack his suitcase and he'd be set for the wedding tomorrow. His tux was hanging in the closet and he had Serena's ring in his nightstand drawer. 'Serena…' he thought. He didn't know what he was going to do with her. This whole situation was pure hell. He didn't want a wife. He'd already tried to start a family before and he'd gotten his fiancée and his daughter taken away from him in the process all because of some money-hungry bastard. His bullet wound started to hurt again; it only hurt when he thought about his daughter. His beautiful gray eyed little girl. His Sierra. He hadn't seen her in two years. 'I'm gonna kill him when I find him!' He screamed silently.

He'd tried working with the cops before; they were no use to him. After Sierra hadn't been found in six months, they'd closed the case and determined her dead. 'She's not dead, damn it! I can do this without the lousy cops, Mario'll slip up one day, and I'll be ready for him.'

This was the last straw, Darien couldn't keep living his life this way: waiting for Mario to call for yet _another_ clue as to where his daughter might be. It wasn't fair to Darien, and it certainly wasn't fair to Serena or Sierra. What if Sierra wasn't even alive? And if she was, it was highly unlikely that she would remember who her father was. Darien sighed, not wanting to think about what he would do if she didn't recognize him if and when he found her.

The next morning when Serena woke up, she didn't feel giddy like all other brides were supposed to feel. She felt... empty. She didn't _feel_ anything at all for Darien. Sure, he was attractive, but she didn't love him... and she was positive that he didn't love her. They never even spoke to each other. Since the lawyer had announced that they were to be wed, Darien hadn't spoke more than five sentences to her.

She sighed and hardened her resolve. She wouldn't speak a word to him unless he addressed her directly. She would be the ever-dutiful wife until he went crazy. She smiled wickedly, 'Oh yeah. This is going to be great.'

When a knock sounded at her door, she mumbled something that sounded like, "Come in." Lacey breezed in and was chattering a mile a minute. "Oh Serena, this is so wonderful! You and Darien will be just fabulous together, mark my word. Why, you'll be the talk of the town." Lacey went to Serena's closet and took out her wedding gown. "You'll look stunningly beautiful in this dress, oh yes you will. Just wait and see." Serena laughed softly, gazing at the dress. It was elegant, yet simple. It was white and long and flowing, simple little straps held the dress up and the neckline was low, but not so low that it showed too much. 'It really is a lovely dress.' She commented thoughtfully.

"Aunt Lacey, I have an idea about what to do with my hair..." She said and went on to describe weaving the baby's breath flowers through her hair. Lacey was ecstatic and didn't notice that Serena wasn't the blushing bride that she was supposed to be.

"Well Darien, my boy, are you ready to become a husband?" Ian asked, helping Darien with his tie and suit jacket.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Darien stated. "Let's go get this thing over with..." He said when Ian had finished fussing over his tie. Ian laughed and they both headed downstairs into the den where the ceremony was taking place. Since Lacey didn't trust anyone but herself to do the decorations, she had been awake since the crack of dawn to make everything perfect.

The banister of the stairs had white roses and yellow ribbon weaved through the posts. On every even surface there was a white candle lit, the lights didn't have to be turned on because the candles gave off quite a bit of light.

Darien saw Andrew, Colin, Raye and all of her friends waiting by the mantel of the fireplace where more candles adorned it. Lacey rushed down the stairs to start the wedding march and Ian rushed up the stairs to walk Serena down them to Darien. Darien's breath caught when he saw Serena. She was an angel, a vision. She walked with her natural feminine grace and once the music ended, Ian handed Serena over to Darien and the minister began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

A.N. Well? I know, I haven't written in a VERY long time. Life does that to you. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It wasn't the best, but isn't the worst either. Thanks! Icess

Written On: May 24, 2004

Revamped On: March 20, 2006


	10. Chapter Nine

A.N. Ok, I'm back for the time being to try and finish these stories. Not having much luck with it though, as you can see.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its affiliated characters, yada, yada… They belong to Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, and Toei Animation.

Title: Moving On

Chapter: Nine

Author: Icess

They'd only been married a week and already it seemed like a whole year had passed. Every time they were together, they wound up fighting about something as childish as to who was going to control the remote for the T.V. that evening. The good thing though, was that Darien was always gone on business. Serena pretty much had the house to herself and Raye came to visit often.

While Serena hadn't completely taken over as CEO of Olson Inc. yet, she still showed up at the office everyday, making sure that everything was running smoothly. One morning, while Serena made her way to the elevators for her first meeting, she ran into someone. Hard. Because, of course… she was running late. "Oh, I'm so sorry… are you okay?" She asked, too humiliated to look up.

She heard a deep, husky laugh and dared to face her victim. "Darien? What… uh, what are you doing here?" She asked numbly. Her eyes raked over him like a wolf, taking in every inch of his tall, suit-clad frame. She then shook her head, as if trying to clear her mind.

"Are you quite finished?" Amused, Darien just stared right back at her. She blushed furiously and looked away once more. "I'm here because I wanted to see how things were going. I am part owner of this business now, you know." He reminded her. 'As if I could forget!' Serena seethed inside. Darien sighed and put his arm around her shoulders, turning her the opposite way that she needed to go.

"Wait, I'm supposed to be in a meeting. I'm late already." Serena objected, pulling away from him.

"Don't worry, I took care of it." Darien stated simply.

"What is that supposed to mean? _I _was supposed to be in that meeting with the board of directors and you tell me not to worry about it? I think not!" Angry, Serena marched down the hall to the meeting room. It was empty. All that was left on the mahogany oblong table were scraps of paper and empty water glasses. Those were disappearing as well for the janitorial staff was setting everything back to order. Serena glared up at Darien. "Why is there no one in here?"

"I stood in for you. Everyone was getting impatient. So we discussed what we needed to and that was that. No need to get all huffy about it. I know as much about running a business as you do, if not more." Came Darien's reply. If Serena could glare daggers, Darien would have been on the floor bleeding to death.

"Did I ask you to take my place? Did I ask you to waltz in here and run _my_ company?" Tempers flaring, they faced off. Secretaries stopped answering calls, the janitors in the meeting room stopped vacuuming. Everyone stopped to see who would back down first. Some even took bets. In the end, Serena won. Darien was barely audible when he said through clenched teeth, "We'll talk about this later." He then stalked off to the elevators and left a bewildered staff and furious Serena behind.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So much for being a dutiful wife." Serena chuckled to herself as she walked onto the sidewalk in front of Olson Inc. She was over being angry, she had overreacted, which was something that she did very often. As she made her way to the parking garage, she noticed a little girl standing alone on the edge of the sidewalk. She had startling gray eyes and pitch-black hair. And she was alone; Serena could see no adults nearby that were going to claim her. "Hi there, are you lost?" Serena asked as she kneeled down to the young girls height. She looked to be about five or six years old.

"No, my uncle is across the street at the bank. He had to put a lot of money in there today." The girl smiled widely, showing gaps where she had lost her baby teeth. "What's your name? Mine is Sierra."

Charmed, Serena responded in kind with, "I'm Serena."

"Would you like to be my friend? I don't have many friends." Sierra said sadly.

"Well that's too bad." Serena remarked and looked down the sidewalk a little ways… and she saw Darien. He stood as if transfixed; his gaze was locked on the girl with long, flowing hair. Then, coming out of his stupor, he began to run toward them.

"Sierra?" He asked incredulously and dropped to his knees before her. The girl's eyes widened as she gazed at the man. Uncertainty showed in her expression, and then child-like delight. "How did you know my name?" She giggled.

Serena watched the whole scene, afraid of the look in Darien's eye as he gazed around him. Then, like an eagle catching its prey from the air, scooped the girl up, grabbed Serena's hand and began ran as fast as he could to the nearest police station. "Darien! Wait! What are you doing? Her uncle is waiting for her!" Serena yelled as she gazed over her shoulder to see a big, burly man come out of the bank and yell Sierra's name. Serena's eyes made contact with his and she felt a chill all the way to her bone.

"No time to explain!" Darien had to yell over Sierra's screaming for her uncle. Darien then turned a corner and marched quickly up the steps to precinct #12. As they neared the front desk, Darien said briskly, "Detective Brown, pronto." Darien ran his hands over Sierra's back to try and calm her down. She only cried harder, pushing against Darien's shoulders with all her might, trying to get away. Brown came around the corner and stopped dead at the sight of the ragged trio.

"Mr. Stenson, what's going on?"

"I've found my daughter, Sierra." Darien stated grimly. Serena felt the wind knock out of her, leaving her breathless. The other shoe dropped at the commotion at the entrance. There stood Mario, gun in hand… ready to shoot. At Serena.

A.N. Dun, dun, DUN! Gotcha! Woohoo! I love cliffhangers! Yes, a lot of drama in this chapter. But I need to get the ball rolling. Stay tuned for the next installment. Icess

Written On: March 30, 2006


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